Once a Wife, Always a Mother

Wendy Thompson

I was a wife
                              Who couldn’t cook

I was a mother
                              Who couldn’t swim

I was a wife
                              Who couldn’t fight

I was a mother
                              Who couldn’t look ___ in the eye

I was a wife
                              Who paid all the bills

I was a mother
                              Who couldn’t sleep through the night

I was a wife
                              Who acted like a man

I was a mother
                              Who couldn’t appreciate any man

I was a wife
                              Who was the hammer

I was a mother
                              Who was the captain and the ship

I was a wife
                              Who fucked so many men prior to getting married she lost count (I told him two)

I was a mother
                              Who was an ocean full of love

I was a wife
                              Who married a foreigner from 6.4627° N, 3.3997° E

I was a mother
                              Who lost her shape and looked like a front-facing little letter b

I was a wife
                              Who never had an orgasm before the age of 40

I was a mother
                              Who screamed at her children like they were crazy mother  
                              fuckers wanting to fight at a BART station bus stop after 12 AM

I was a wife
                                                  Until

I was the victim’s mother

I was the petitioner

I was a person

I was a human

I was an animal

I was an object in the shape of a daughter’s wound at the edge of the world

I was a piece of non-biodegradable plastic in the middle of an albatross’s gut floating clean across the ocean

I was a broken thing to be used and discarded behind an apartment building dumpster (they think it was 2C that threw it away because they were always leaving trash out)

I was a cuss word thrown to the wind after church

I was a dating app profile

I was a limb

I was an orifice

I was someone else’s plaything

I was a middle-age man’s middle-age fuck buddy

I was alone

I am a mother

Eʼesdzáán sélį́į́’ dóó ahool’áa goo amá nishłį́į

Chris Hoshnic

Translator's Note

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Ak’oondí doo yinist’eesda

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Doo na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’da  

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Doo ak’inéish’wo’ da’ 

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Doo’ _____ yooshʼį́in da’

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Doo bík’é goo’naashá daa

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Tł’éé’goo’ doo’ awóósh da’ 

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Haastóí bíná’aanish íísh’į́i’dee

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Nidi shee hastiin doo baa ahééh nisinda nít’éé’

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Doo bee atsidí naanish’liin 

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Tó biyi naʼałbąąsii’igi doo’ naatʼáanii iish’íín’dee 

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Haastóí láá biłda’shiisk’aa yoo ił’taa (Ł’áá éí naakí bił hosh’niih)

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Shí’jéí éí tónteel’igi áníłtsóh

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’ 
                                            Tó’náán’diné sé’yii’ 6.4627° N, 3.3997° E 

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Shi’neesk’ah góó shits’íís B yázhí nahalin

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Dízdiin yiháá góó háastá doo’shił hózhǫ́on’daa 

Amá nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                            Tł’éé’goo’ BART kǫ́’na’ałbąąsii náál’tłii di’ shá’ałchiní
                                            bich’į́’hadeeshghaazh 

E’esdzą́ą́ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’
                                           ‘Ákohgo ‘inda

Diyoolyéłígíí bii’má nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Na’ídíkidi nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Diné nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Bíla’ashdla’ii nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Naaldlooshii nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Nahasdzáán bitséé di shí ch’é’éh bí honiigai biyi’hooghan iish’láá 

Naatsédlózii bíí ts’iis doo hináanii biyi tłʼiish áníní bí’joodáał’igí bąąh shił’átʼéego 

Tsíílzéí’igí hooghan biné dée (2C bii’hooghan’igí bí tsʼiilzéí shił’nitsídaakees)

Áko tʼáá niniiʼjįʼ níyol bidáahgo shił’iyííłhan ńt’ę́ę́ sodizin bá hooghan bi’k’ehgᶖ́

Béésh bee hani’i bíí áłah néiidleehígíí nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Ats’áozla’ nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

Tsé bíyíʼ hoodzaago nít’éé’

Daané'é nít’éé’

Haastóí shił’ daané'é’igí nishłį́į́ nít’éé’

T’áá sáhi yishááł nít’éé’

Amá nishłį́í

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